Tag Archive: Guided

Enduro Raid™

Mission Enduro!

For riders who like things edgy, steep and technical the Enduro Raid™ slingshots you into the UK’s enduro epicentre – the Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders.

Home to the best loved 7Stanes Glentress and Innerleithen trail centres, in 2009 MBR Magazine set out with us in pursuit of the disused, the forgotten and the remote – and since then the area has become infamous for its off-piste trails and enduro racing scene. Join us on this guided bike adventure and we’ll help you uncover the Enduro World Series gems and a whole lot more besides!

The Trip

The Tweed Valley’s riddled with superb riding – what we’ll show you are some of the best natural, off-piste and off-map trails in the world.

Here’s what you can expect

Graded Rides Every trip is packed with two superb guided rides (Saturday and Sunday)

Accommodation Two nights fantastic B&B accommodation right at the heart of the riding (Friday and Saturday)

Professional Guides Expertly trained, hugely experienced but most of all great fun and with a wealth of local knowledge to share!

Comprehensive Support Including First Aid and mechanical assistance throughout your trip

Detailed pre-departure information

Trip photos

Join the trip in Innerleithen, Tweed Valley, Scottish Borders

2018 Trip Dates

March 30th to April 1st | Level 3 / 3

April 20th to 22nd | Level 3++ / 3++

June 29th to July 1st | Level 3+ / 2+

August 31st to Sept 2nd | Level 3+ / 3+

If you can’t find your preferred dates on the booking system or are looking for a longer trip please contact us to discuss opening up a new trip for your group.

Friday

You’ll arrive in the Valley (hopefully) in time for a lovely pub meal and a nightcap before settling down for a great night’s rest before the fun begins tomorrow.

Saturday

We’ll rendezvous in the Tweed Valley and over a coffee in the best cafe in the Borders we’ll get to know everyone before hitting the trails for an introduction to our tight, twisty singletrack heaven. The variety of riding here is huge, and the quality is consistently nuts! When the sun is shining the Tweed Valley’s ridgelines offer riders a commanding perspective of Scotland’s wee mountain biking kingdom.

That evening, you’ll probably give in to the lure of the local pub and enjoy some great grub, a tasty ale and the buzz from shredding some of the funnest descents anywhere.

Sunday

Just as you think you’re getting on top of the riding, we’ll see if we can’t pull out a few more surprises to keep you on your toes. Five minutes out the door of your fantastic accommodation, you’ll be picking up your second taste of what’s on offer in the Tweed Valley. We’ll take it easy on the climbs, keeping plenty in the tanks for the good bits. Tight, rooty, steep singletrack descents are the rewards for some serious climbing!

If your appetite for new adventures still isn’t satisfied then we still have some treats in store, or revisit your favourite spot so far to have another crack at that tricky corner.

Believe the Hype!

Believe us when we say there’s a whole load more to the Tweed Valley than just the phenomenal trail centres – why else would the Enduro World Series roll into town two years on the trot?!

You’ll see from the website, we know the best places across the whole of Scotland for mountain biking holidays and if you’d like to join one of our trips for a day or arrange a professional mountain bike guide to help with your own mountain bike adventure in Scotland – get in touch and we’ll do the rest.

Whether you’re in Scotland on holiday, want to join one of our mountain bike tours for a day or two, or you’re squeezing in a quick hit between business meetings, let us help you uncover those elusive off-piste ‘secret’ trails and ancient tracks deep amongst the forests and glens of Scotland – hook up with our friendly, expert guides who know Scotland inside and out.

We only offer guided rides in Scotland’s best mountain bike destinations:

Scottish Borders / Tweed Valley

Highland Perthshire and Dunkeld

Loch Lomond & Trossachs

Cairngorms

East Highlands, Deeside & Angus Glens

West Highlands, Glencoe & Lochaber

Northwest Highlands

Isle of Skye

Outer Hebrides Islands

There’s hardly a place in Scotland we haven’t ridden, guided, recced or mapped – let us take care of the details so you can get out and ride somewhere new without the hassle of navigation, what to do when the conditions go awry, or if you just want to take away the pressure of not knowing how good a trail is going to be.

And just as importantly, we know exactly where to find the warmest hospitality, the best pint and the smoothest post-ride dram!

Day Tour / Guiding Rates*

Half-day: from £100

Full-day: from £160

*due to the nature of our day tours and guided rides, departure times and rendezvous locations will be confirmed upon receipt of your booking enquiry.

Torrid Affair™

Magical Wilderness

Words don’t do it justice…but let’s try. Close your eyes for a second – imagine being transported to a world of rock slabs, towering mountains, glens and sea lochs stretching as far as the eye can see. Add mountain bikes and you’re getting close to the landscapes and terrain we’ll be riding on the Torrid Affair mountain bike adventure – check out our bike partner’s video and our guest reviews for a flavour of what’s in store!

We’ve been exploring this area for 10+ years, and it might sound corny but no matter how often we ride in this remote corner of Scotland the sheer scale of the mountains and the quality of the trails never fail to blow us and our guests away as we unload the bikes and take our first pedal strokes deep into this magical wilderness.

When we shared this epic place with Danny Milner of MBR Magazine he was smitten after the very first pedal stroke into the glens:

“A torrid affair: The hills around Torridon in the Scottish Highlands are beautiful enough to inspire a holiday romance, with GO-WHERE as our trusty chaperone.”

They voted it ‘Trail of the Year 2011′ after spending a week with us cherry picking the best riding in the area, so come find out whether they were exaggerating or not!

And as if the opportunity to ride in this remote corner of Scotland wasn’t reward enough in itself, where conditions and stamina allow, we explore the whole northwestern corner of Scotland, and load up and hop over the sea to the Isle of Skye to take on the might of the rugged Cuillins too!

The Trip

Every sense, every muscle, every skill in your mountain biking armoury will be challenged and rewarded in equal measure as we ride in a landscape where dinosaurs wouldn’t look out of place – the North West Highlands of Scotland are a truly must ride destination!

Type of TripAll-mountain

Technical Grading ++

Endurance Grading ++

How Long? 6 nights / 7 days (Saturday to Friday)

Here’s what you can expect

The best trails of the Northwest Highlands and the Isle of Skye expertly curated to pack an unforgettable punch

Professional Guides – expertly trained, hugely experienced but most of all great fun and with a wealth of local knowledge to share!

Accommodation in a stunning lochside lodge in the heart of the Northwest Highlands

Help yourself buffet breakfasts to set you up for the day

Logistics and comprehensive support including backup vehicle, First Aid and mechanical assistance throughout your trip

Detailed pre-departure information

Trip photos

Join the trip in Innerleithen, Edinburgh, Perth, Aviemore or Inverness (alternative arrangements may be possible – please contact us to discuss)

2018 Trip Dates

May 12th to 18th

June 9th to 15th

July 21st to 27th

August 25th to 31st

September 8th to 14th (Mountain Lassies Exclusive TBC)

Logistics : A/B/G/T/S

Price: £995.00 per person

If you have different dates in mind please contact us to discuss opening up a new trip for your group.

Sample Itinerary

Saturday

Trips typically begin with a fresh coffee (of course!) and a rendezvous around 08:30 in the Tweed Valley with alternative pick-ups in Edinburgh, Perth and Inverness (full details are sent out beforehand).

After high-fives and handshakes, a last-minute supply run may be the order of the day, then we safely secure our precious cargo onto our custom bike trailer, load the minibus, turn on the tunes and kick off the adventure!

As we truck north to our secret loch-side HQ, we’ll treat ourselves to a tasty post-lunch ride on some lesser-known trail delights. By the time we swing into the Glen we’ll be ready to crack open the beers and rustle up a hearty dinner – and maybe even enjoy an ale or a dram* by the fire overlooking tomorrow’s mountains.

*Maybe best not overdo it though…Day 2 might be a big one!

Sunday

Waking up to 360 degree epicness – stunning views of mountains rising straight from the loch; it’s quite a spot to polish off a hearty breakfast, drain the last drop of fresh java from the cafétière before donning bike gear, fettling bikes and steering a course for those very same peaks.

Day 2 could be a ‘three-sandwich’ kind of day…whichever route we pick, prepare to be out in the mountains all day, picking the best lines amongst the boulder strewn singletrack the northwest highlands are notorious for. You can expect the bike to be over your shoulder or on your back at points – the riding in this part of Scotland has its challenges for everyone, but the best descents in Europe are well worth the effort. And the awesome mountain backdrop helps take the sting out of the climbs so don’t forget your camera!

Plus, we all know the beer tastes sweeter when it’s earned.

Monday

On day 3 it’s time to return to the big mountain buffet for a flavour of your choosing: there’s no shortage of new trails and new views to blow your socks off! With a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast under our belts, there should be plenty of fuel in the tank to get right back to it and get stuck in to the good stuff.

By now you’ll be getting your eye in, and hopefully understanding why we just can’t keep ourselves away from this place. Big climbs, big scenery, big smiles: it’s all there to be earned. Serious days call for serious relaxation back at base though, so alongside a hearty evening meal we can raise a glass to our achievements so far.

Tuesday

We’ll see how everybody’s feeling after two big mountain days – today’s an optional chill-out or ‘lighter’ ride day.

You might be curious to see the area at a slightly more leisurely pace, or just burning to know what the local whisky tastes like! As good as it is, this part of Scotland has a lot going for it to compliment the great riding, so we’ll make sure to show you a little of the special character of the area.

Wednesday

Today’s one of those mornings where the mountain views from a cosy bed may slow up progress for a while, but what’s waiting for us on the Isle of Skye has a stronger pull than the duvet!

We’ll pick a tasty route – whether an epic point-to-point, a stunning coastal loop, or a short uber-technical alpine sortie, or even a combo if time and stamina allow. We’ll grab coffee and cake after the ride (are you sensing we like our coffee!!) and by the time we roll back to HQ in the evening, it’ll be time for a loch side BBQ, a hearty home-cooked meal or some pub fayre served locally.

Thursday

Retracing the ancient coffin road (singletrack) across the Applecross Peninsula we’ll climb onto an exposed headland with stunning views all around, before weaving our way to the coast, climbing and descending on some of the world’s most ancient rock. Singletrack created by the Gods!

Your prayers will be answered because the ride finishes nearby one of Scotland’s finest and friendliest seafood restaurants – the Applecross Inn. After a late lunch at the Inn, we’ll travel over the UK’s most alpine pass – Bealach-na-Ba – to catch the setting sun as we truck back to HQ. There might be some legs that are glad for the relief, but we reckon your head will be bursting with ideas and dreams to come back here!

Friday

Just as you’re getting into the groove, you realise it’s our very last day…after a relaxed breakfast, we’ll sort out our kit, take one last look at this incredible part of Scotland before starting our homeward journey south.

Trip Tips

Throw out those skinny lightweight cross-country tyres – this trip is screaming out for sturdy rubber and big volume casings!

Mountain Royale™

More Alpine than the Alps!

Come and sample the incredible riding in the Queen’s ‘backyard’ – the splendour of the Cairngorms, Angus Glens and Deeside. We guarantee you’ll be spoiled for choice in this secret mountain bikers paradise, but don’t take our word for it – it’s what our guests say!

The Trip

It feels like we’ve been riding here forever and the mountain biking never gets stale because there’s so much to choose from. Each day on this mountain bike tour, we spider out into the wilderness by bike or in the vehicle from the picture postcard Highland village of Braemar in Deeside to pick up sweet ribbons of singletrack, ancient drove roads and long forgotten tracks we’ve uncovered over the years.

The Mountain Royale mountain bike trip is something we’re very proud of – not least because it’s in one of those areas that’s still very much under the radar of the mountain biking public so it comes as a big surprise just how fantastic the riding is. But also because it offers up such a huge variety of riding from big mountain epics to sweet forest singletrack (plus a healthy slice of ‘apres-biking’ too!).

Type of TripAll-mountain

Technical Grading and above

Endurance Grading and above

How Long? This is a week-long adventure running Saturday to Friday

Here’s what you can expect

A week exploring the lesser known trail gems of the Cairngorms, Deeside and the Angus Glens

Professional Guides – expertly trained, hugely experienced but most of all great fun and with a wealth of local knowledge to share!

Unique Lodge Accommodation in the heart of the action

Buffet breakfasts to set you up for the day

Logistics and comprehensive support including backup vehicle, First Aid and mechanical assistance throughout your trip

Detailed pre-departure information

Trip photos

Join the trip in Innerleithen, Edinburgh or Perth (alternative arrangements may be possible – please contact us to discuss)

2018 Trip Dates

May 5th to 11th

June 23rd to 29th

July 14th to 20th (Mountain Lassies Exclusive)

August 4th to 10th

September 22nd to 28th

Logistics: A/B/G/T/S

Price: £925.00 per person

If you have different dates in mind please contact us to discuss opening up a new trip for your group.

Sample Itinerary

Saturday

Did somebody say coffee?

Trips typically begin with a fresh coffee (of course!) and a rendezvous around 9am in the Tweed Valley with pick-ups in Edinburgh and Perth (full details are sent out beforehand).

After high-fives and handshakes, a last-minute supply run may be the order of the day, then we safely secure our precious cargo onto our custom bike trailer, load the minibus, turn on the tunes and kick off the adventure! As we truck north to our Deeside HQ, we’ll treat ourselves to a tasty ride on some lesser-known trail delights in this slice of mountain biking heaven.

By the time we swing into the village we’ll be ready to crack open the beers and rustle up a hearty dinner at our accommodation or nip out and enjoy some local pub grub and ale of course!

Sunday

Five minutes out the door of your fantastic accommodation, you’ll be picking up your second taste of what’s on offer.

Big ups for big downs and wide smiles. We’ll take it easy on the climbs though, keeping plenty in the tanks for the good bits. A mix of fast natural heathery singletrack, granite slabs and long steep descents are the rewards for today’s efforts.

That evening, we’ll probably give in to the lure of the local pub and enjoy some great grub, a tasty ale and the buzz from shredding some of the funnest descents anywhere.

Monday

Big mountains and big flow. Epic panoramas are just one reward for reaching the plateau of one of the UK’s highest summits – the real dessert comes when we tackle the maze of pristine singletrack below us.

Before we focus on the trail, we’ll take five to soak it all up – in this landscape of giants, we’re just dots. It’s the perfect environment to forget the daily grind.

Tuesday

The tiny mountain town of Braemar is the gateway to the most rewarding back country mountain biking in Scotland – today’s going to be quite an ‘out there’ experience.

Definitely a three sandwich kind of day!

Wednesday

It feels like we’ve been riding here forever and the mountain biking never gets stale because there’s so much to choose from. Mountain Royale is a land of contrasts – the Queen’s highland retreat is nearby, hidden deep in the silent forests of ancient Scots Pine sheltering beneath some of the UK’s highest summits, where the sub-arctic landscape is more similar to Scandinavia than the rest of the British Isles.

Today is one of our favourites – a loam-rich rollercoaster through the pines.

Thursday

With so much riding on our doorstep, we’ve plenty of time for another dose of singletrack goodness to keep your head spinning for weeks – this time a sweet ribbon, only reached by an ancient drove road and long forgotten track we uncovered over the years of exploring this maze of mountain biking fun.

Friday

Just as you’re getting into the groove, you realise it’s our very last day…after a relaxed breakfast, we’ll sort out our kit, take one last look at this incredible part of Scotland before starting our homeward journey south.

Trip Tips

Looking for world-class riding and a real wilderness feel? And a real Scottish Highland village to come back to at the end of the day – to enjoy a fresh coffee, a real ale, or a hearty evening meal – not to mention one of Scotland’s best stocked bike shops just around the corner? This trip’s for you!

Border Raid™

Borders Backountry

One of the most popular short breaks in our growing arsenal of intrepid mountain biking adventures, the Border Raid™ lifts the lid on the beautiful Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders.

Home to the best loved 7Stanes Glentress and Innerleithen trail centres, in 2009 MBR Magazine set out with us in pursuit of the disused, the forgotten and the remote – and since then the area has become recognised as a mountain biker’s paradise with mile upon mile of the sweetest riding anywhere. Join us on this guided bike adventure and we’ll help you uncover the gems buried deep within the forests and glens skirting the River Tweed!

The Trip

The Tweed Valley’s riddled with superb riding – what we’ll show you are some of the best natural, off the beaten track trails we love.

Type of TripAll-mountain A mix of natural backcountry trails and trail-centre link ups to uncover extra special singletrack descents

Here’s what you can expect

Graded Rides Every trip is packed with two superb guided rides (Saturday and Sunday)

Accommodation Two nights fantastic B&B accommodation right at the heart of the riding (Friday and Saturday)

Professional Guides Expertly trained, hugely experienced but most of all great fun and with a wealth of local knowledge to share!

Comprehensive Support Including First Aid and mechanical assistance throughout your trip

Detailed pre-departure information

Trip photos

Join the trip in the Tweed Valley, Scottish Borders

2018 Trip Dates

April 27th to 29th | Level 3 / 2

June 1st to 3rd | Level 2 / 2

August 10th to 12th | Level 3 / 3

September 28th to 30th | Level 3 / 2

If you have different dates, gradings or a longer trip in mind please contact us to discuss opening up a new trip for your group.

Sample Itinerary

Friday

You’ll arrive in the Valley (hopefully) in time for a lovely pub meal and a nightcap before settling down for a great night’s rest before the fun begins tomorrow

Saturday

We’ll rendezvous in the Tweed Valley and over a coffee in the best cafe in the Borders we’ll get to know everyone before hitting the trails for an introduction to our favourite Valley and catch a glimpse at why this area is rapidly becoming recognised as a slice of UK mountain biking heaven.

Saddle up for a ‘three sandwich’ kind of day – the variety of riding here is huge, and today you’ll earn your fill with an epic backcountry mission including some big climbs and equally long descents guaranteed to keep you on your toes.

That evening, you’ll probably give in to the lure of the local pub and enjoy some great grub, a tasty ale and retell tall tales of the big ups and even bigger downs encountered in the Valley.

Sunday

Five minutes out the door of your fantastic accommodation, you’ll be picking up your second taste of what’s on offer in the Tweed Valley.

With so much riding on our doorstep, we’ve plenty of time for a final dose of singletrack goodness to keep your head spinning for weeks! If your appetite for new adventures still isn’t satisfied then we still have some treats in store, or revisit your favourite spot.

It might be goodbye for now, but you know where to find us next time.

Believe the Hype!

Believe us when we say there’s a whole load more to the Tweed Valley than just the phenomenal trail centres – why else would the Enduro World Series roll into town two years on the trot?!

The Trips

Tailored for you from several days to as long as you desire – you can ride through the most iconic of Scottish mountainscapes from the Scottish Borders, Cairngorms, Glencoe and Ft William to Knoydart, the Isle of Skye and Torridon. Depending on your tastes and budget, here’s some of the ingredients we can mix to make your ultimate mountain bike adventure in Scotland.

On the big one, you’ll take six individual boat trips, spend a day riding off the gondola in Fort William, sample the finest ales and whiskies in the UK’s best inns and pubs, eat the freshest produce and enjoy the warmest hospitality anywhere, and of course ride beautiful natural trails under some of the most breathtaking mountain tops in Scotland.

Scotland can be a wild place. A place of big mountains, rock faces, boulder strewn trails and some of the best wild riding imaginable. IMBA didn’t give Scotland global superstar status for nothing and on this voyage of discovery you’ll soon find out why! Accessing this remote back country can be a daunting prospect yet it can be the most inspirational and exciting riding terrain there is. It’s a mountain biking adventure that takes you one step at a time until you reach the final, ultimate and iconic routes of Scotland.

Type of Trip All-mountain guided, coached* or self-guided

Level Tailored to suit your abilities and aspirations

How Long? As a custom trip we tailor the duration to suit you

How Challenging? It’s up to you!

Adventure Factor? Off the Scale!

The Coaching*

Have you ever seen a photograph of a rider immersed in the mountains, surrounded by peaks and beautiful trails and wanted to be that rider in the photo? Thought you would never be able to get out there and ride it? Well we want you to be that rider, experience those landscapes and ride those trails in style.

That’s why the UK’s leading big mountain tour company and mountain bike coaching company have joined forces – to share our knowledge of the best trails in the world, with you and to show you how to ride it, to tame it and to conquer it.

“Everyone, even world champions have a coach, and we’re there to not only better your riding – regardless of your experience – but also to allow you to get the most out of the wilderness by building your confidence and helping to remove the stress of a solo venture.” Chris Ball, Director, Dirt School

Consider this trip a holiday with benefits – an investment not just in your experiences but in yourself. You’ll leave us not only with memories of epic trails in incredible locations but also with the skill set to take your riding up a gear when you get back home. As a safari, we take you on the road to only the best spots, building you up from some of Scotland’s finest managed trails, to our biggest and most beautiful wild mountain routes.

By the end of this trip your riding will be through the roof, and you’ll already be thinking of when to book your next trip to Scotland. Based on the week-long tour, to make sure you get the most out of the Safari we start the trip with one and half days on specially selected mountain bike trail centres that give us the opportunity to talk you through what you’ll encounter out in the wilds, get you prepared for the big country – so you can go on to experience the wild rides without feeling like you’re in a classroom. After all, our aim is to give you the tools to truly experience the big mountains without feeling frustrated, overly challenged or nervous about what lies ahead.

Following your first few days of being coach led, the teaching element will back off and the guided adventure takes over, giving you the chance to absorb, ride and enjoy the trip. However, your coach will never leave you flying solo. In fact they’ll be on hand the whole week to help you, answer your questions and make sure you have everything you need to really get the most from the riding.

“Is this a training camp?”

No Way – it’s the opposite. This trip is a holiday with benefits. Fun and good times are the main aim of this trip, we’re just here to make sure that when you come across a challenge on the trail, we can help you get over it so you can go on to experience the next amazing view, singletrack or landscape.

You can expect a structured introduction to key techniques and skills in the first two days. You’ll then be left to practice them out on the big terrain but never without a coach to help with anything you need. This way, you can enjoy your riding and the epic scenery and still learn and grow in ability and confidence throughout the week.

The Logistics

Book with us and we’ll arrange a personalised itinerary including transport, accommodation, bike rental and guiding too. For self-guided mountain bike tours of Scotland, we provide a comprehensive package. Read on…

Big Mountain Safari™

Here’s what you can expect

An itinerary created by experts to suit you

Professional Coaching (*optional)

Video of your riding throughout the week (*optional)

Apres ride playback sessions if you desire (*optional)

Individual focus on your riding development

Great group experience, mellow atmosphere and good times

Expert answers to any riding questions you may have

Adventure!

Professional Guide/s

Alternatively, if you opt for a self-guided trip – once we’re confident you’ll be okay going it alone – we’ll let you loose in the wilds fully loaded with an action-packed itinerary, GPS files and maps of your rides

Quality Hotel / Guest House Accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis (self-catering, and more modest options also available)

Baggage transfers, ferries and private transportation throughout the trip

Gondola lift passes (*optional)

Charter boat access to remote trail gems (*optional)

Mechanical Support

Detailed pre-departure information

Trip photos

Join the trip at the location that suits you (please contact us to discuss)

Dirty Weekends™

Weekend Mountain Biking

Take the ultimate mountain bike holidays in Scotland. Shrink them. Squeeze out the most iconic rides – and voila – we’ve picked the very best mountain bike rides in Scotland for you, including our favourites from the Mountain Lassies,Border Raid and Mountain Royale mountain bike trips.

Just because these Scottish mountain biking breaks are short, don’t think for a second that they’re watered down versions of the ‘big trips’ – the last thing we’ll do is skimp on the special ingredients that make each of these such popular mountain bike holidays in the UK. It just means we’ve thought extra long and hard, poured over the OS maps and cut straight to the best bits and we’re able to offer some very ‘dirty weekends’ on our favourite trails! Don’t take our word for it though –see what our guests think.

The Trips

Bite sized enough to fit into a weekend, don’t underestimate the riding – expect your fill of awesome rides on incredible trails in iconic settings including the Tweed Valley, the Cairngorms and the East Highland gems of Deeside and the Angus Glens. We’ve cherrypicked the very best routes from each area and squeezed them into an action packed trip high on quality riding, great banter and apres-biking fun!

The Logistics

Book a mountain bike weekend with us and we’ll sort out your itinerary, great accommodation and our fun, friendly professional mountain bike guides for some awesome rideouts.

Dirty Weekends™

Here’s what you can expect

Graded Rides Every trip is packed with superb riding – find the one geared towards your abilities and preferences

Accommodation Fantastic B&B accommodation right at the heart of the riding

Professional Guides Expertly trained, hugely experienced but most of all great fun and with a wealth of local knowledge to share!

Comprehensive Support Including First Aid and mechanical assistance throughout your trip